County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in McKenzie County, ND

The standout signal in McKenzie County, ND is sticker price: center infant care runs $12,464/yr (HIGH · steep-price tercile · #2,258 of 2,661), 30% above the U.S. average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$12,464
Center Infant/yr
$9,170
Family Infant/yr
$83,813
Median Income
14.9%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

McKenzie County pairs the 15th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a moderate income burden on families.

15th pct.
affordability nationally
Moderate
income-burden tier
Wide
family-vs-infant price gap
#2,258
of 2,661 priced counties
C
PlainChildcare Composite Score
47/100
McKenzie County, ND

A center-based childcare affordability composite (infant, preschool, and school-age price burden relative to local median income) plus poverty rate, benchmarked against every other tracked county nationally. Not a rating of childcare quality, safety, or availability. Dimensions with no data on file are excluded and their weight redistributed, never counted as zero.

Infant care burden C
Center-based infant care costs 14.9% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden C
Center-based preschool care costs 12.6% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden D
Center-based school-age care costs 12.5% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship C
8.6% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

Steep-price tercile: family infant care here is $9,170/yr beside the $12,464 center sticker; toddler center care is $11,368/yr.

Steep-book age ladder for McKenzie County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $12,464 $9,170
Toddler $11,368 $8,641
Preschool $10,552 $8,711
School Age $10,467 $9,124

Where McKenzie County ranks on infant-care cost

Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices

$12,464 more affordable than 15% of 2,661 US counties

This county $2,500 $32,500 every U.S. county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $2.5K-wide band; taller bars hold more US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices · 2022

McKenzie County vs. every other North Dakota county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 North Dakota counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the North Dakota median.

Median household income vs Avg. annual infant care 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by Median household income (X) and Avg. annual infant care (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High income, high costLow income, high costHigh income, low costLow income, low cost $40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000 $10,000$11,000$12,000$13,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within North Dakota, McKenzie County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical North Dakota county (its national standing, the 15th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).

Full NDCP Care Ladder in McKenzie County

McKenzie County sits in the steep-price third of NDCP-priced counties (HIGH), read center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop as county-specific, not a clone caption.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $12,464 $9,170 +$3,294 (+35.9%)
Toddler $11,368 $8,641 +$2,727 (+31.6%)
Preschool $10,552 $8,711 +$1,841 (+21.1%)
School Age $10,467 $9,124 +$1,343 (+14.7%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $44,851/year versus $35,646/year for family care ($9,205 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.19× school-age center care here. Among the 53North Dakota counties with a complete NDCP ladder, McKenzie County ranks #52 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

McKenzie County sticker reading

The standout signal in McKenzie County, ND is sticker price: center infant care runs $12,464/yr (HIGH · steep-price tercile · #2,258 of 2,661), 30% above the U.S. average.

Mid-burden tercile: McKenzie County spends 14.9% of a $83,813 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the HIGH sticker with the age-group table before treating any single cell as the household story.

For how to vet a licensed provider (inspection reports, QRIS ratings, CCDF subsidy intake), see Choosing Quality Childcare. Rate methodology: how these numbers are computed.

The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 15 years, from 2008 through 2022.

+95.5% since 2008
Infant center care: $6,377 → $12,464
$12,464/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$6,377
2009
$6,225
2010
$6,183
2011
$6,141
2012
$6,878
2013
$7,615
2014
$8,351
2015
$9,088
2016
$9,983
2017
$10,878
2018
$11,196
2019
$11,513
2020
$11,829
2021
$12,147
2022
$12,464
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $6,377
2009 $6,225
2010 $6,183
2011 $6,141
2012 $6,878
2013 $7,615
2014 $8,351
2015 $9,088
2016 $9,983
2017 $10,878
2018 $11,196
2019 $11,513
2020 $11,829
2021 $12,147
2022 $12,464

What to do with McKenzie County

Infant center care here runs 14.9% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • McKenzie County spends 14.9% of median income on infant center care, above the HHS 7%-of-income affordability line. See exactly where your own household income lands. Affordability calculator
  • $12,464/yr center infant sticker (HIGH) - see how McKenzie County compares against the full national ladder. National rankings
  • If care is straining the budget, federal and state programs (CCDF, Head Start) can cut it sharply. Check whether McKenzie County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.